Method of operating booster motors for locomotives



April 13 1926. 1,580,837

J. A. M GREW ET AL METHOD OF OPERATING BOOSTER MOTORS FOR LOCOMOTIVES Original Filerl April 12, 1923 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS (mt! Jamar 7. lo rce '24 TTORNEY ob: A. Mr drew Z (PM April 13 1926a 1,580,837

J. A. MOGREW ET AL METHOD OF OPERATING BOOSTER MOTORS FOR LOCOMOTIVES Original Filed April 12, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTORS Jbk 12 A. 1% drew m z fam w- 75 02w? Apfil 13, 1926.

J. A. M G'REW ET AL METHOD OF OPERATING BOOSTER MOTORS FOR LOCOMOTIVES Original Filed April 12, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS -70/272A.M6 'rem Jamar 7? L0 rag Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. MOGREW AND JAMES '1. LOREE, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

METHOD OF OPERATING- IBOOSTER MOTORS FOB LOCOMOTIVES.

Application filed April 12,1923, Serial No. 631,717. Renewed September 19, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, JOHN A. McGREw and JAMES T. LOREE, both citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of Albany, county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Operating Booster Motors for Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved method of operating booster motors for locomotives and has for its primary object to provide a method whereby maximum tract'ive power may be obtained in starting and at low speeds with an economical consumption of the steam supply fro-m the boiler of the main locomotive power plant. We propose to attain this result by means of our present invention without decreasing the normal supply of steam to the cylinders of the main engine or unduly increasing the size and Weight of the locomotive.

Modern locomotive design is tending towards higher boiler pressures, there being recent instances of locomotives having maximum. steam boiler pressure of 250, 300 and 350 lbs. Such increase in boiler pressure necessitates a considerable increase in the size of the tender tank, as it is desirable to provide a tank of adequate capaclty to supply such a locomotive with water and coal during a run of say 100 miles so that frequent stoppage for such supplies is avoided. A tender having a tank of this capacity will weigh, when loaded, approximately 300,000 lbs. 'With a boiler steam pressure of say 300 lbs. and a single expansion in the engine cylinders, the steam is exhausted at very high pressure. By cross-compounding, this high pressure exhaust steam may, to a certain extent, be utilized. It is the purpose of our present invention to takeadvantage of these conditions incident to modern improved locomotive design and to most effectively utilize the high pressure exhaust steam and the adhesive pressure of the heavy weight of the tender truck upon the rails whereby a maximum addition to the tractive power of the main engine may be obtained. The tender tank may be mounted upon a pair of trucks, as usual, or in view of the increased size of the tender, it may be found advisable to provide the same with three supporting trucks.

tion, we propose to equip each of these tender trucks with an auxiliary propulsion unit or booster motor, preferably of the type shown in our Patent No. 1,412,250, granted April 11, 1922. The first or forward booster motor has its cylinders connected by suitable supply piping to the superheated steam pipe connections with the main engine cylinders. The exhaust from the cylinders of this first'booster is supplied to the cylinders of the intermediate booster through suitable pipe connections, and the exhaust steam from these booster cylinders is. in turn supplied by other pipeconnections to the cylinders of the rear booster. Thus, the three booster motors or propulsion units are connected in series and operate in unison to positively drive the wheels of each tender truck. We thereby secure an appreciable added tractive power which greatv aids or supplements the main engine of t e locomotive in the propulsion of a heavy train in starting or over controlling grades. The exhausted steam from the last or rear boostermay be finally utilized to heat the feed water for the main locomotive boiler. It will, of course, be understood that the greatest tractive power will be obtained from the first or forward booster motor and the additional motors operated by exhaust steam will operate with successively decreasing power output. The aggregate added tractive power from the three boosters is, however, appreciably greater than that which can be obtained from a single booster,

and does not necessitate a prohibitive increase in the size of the main locomotiveboiler.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, our invention resides in the improved method of operating" boosters for locomotives, as hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawin s and subsequently incorporated in the su joined claims.

Referring to the drawings wherein we have illustrated our present improvements in more or less diagrammatic form and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomotive tender showing the tender tank supported upon three trucks having booster motors operatively connected in series with each other;

Figure 2 is a plan view, the body or tank of the tender being omit-ted;

Figure 3 is a detail view illustrating the mechanism for entraining the ster with the axle to be driven thereby.

Figure 3 is a detail view partly in sect on showing the means for controlling the supply of steam to booster motors.

In the illustrated application of our improved method, we have shown a locomotive tender 5 which in this instance, is mounted upon three supporting trucks, generally indicated at (3, each of said trucks having spaced axles journaled in suitable bearings and -arrying at their ends the usual track engaging wheels. Between the spaced axles of each truck a locomotive booster unit is flexibly suspended, preferably in the manner disclosed in our issued patent above referred to and to which reference may be had for a detail explanation of the booster. For purposes of this description it will suflice to state that each booster includes the steam receiving cylinders 7 having reciprocating pistons therein, which, through the usual connections, operate a driving shaft 8. R0- tation is transmitted from said driving shaft to one of the truck axles 9 through the medium of suitable entraining gearing which will be later referred to.

Live steam is supplied to the cylinders of the tirst or forward booster motor through the main supply pipe 10 which is connected through the medium of a suitable valve :Zl with the superheated steam pipe connections 23 to the main engine cylinders. The valve Bl is operated through the medium of a suitable engineers air valve indicated generally at 12. In advance of the first or forward booster motor a by-pass valve It is interposed in the pipe line 10, said valve being operated by compressed air controlled through the medium of an engineer-s valve, shown at 12 whereby the entrainment gearing for the booster motor may be actuated to drive the truck axle in the reverse direction. In Figure 3 we. have shown the entraining gears 13 and ll arranged for planetary movement with respect to gears 15 and it; fixed on the driving shaft 8 and the truck axle 9, respectively. These entraining gears are connected to piston valves 17 and 18 respectively, interposed in the pipe connections between the by-pass valve 11 and the booster motor cylinders. The operation of this entraining mechanism is fully illustrated, described and claimed in Patent X0. 1,477,353 granted to us on March 6th, 1923, to which reference may be had for a full understanding thereof.

The-steam exhausted from the cylinders of the first or forward booster motor is conveyed through the pipe 19 and supphed to the cylinders of the intermediate booster motor whereby the latter is actuated. A second by-pass valve 20 is interposed in this pipe connection and controls the steam supply whereby the entrainment mechanism for this booster motor will be properly operated to drive the t ruck axle in the desired direc tion. 2

The exhaust steam from the cylinders of the intermediate booster motoris in turn conveyed through the pipe 21 to the cylin ders of the rear booster motor whereby the latter is actuated, Of course, the power output of the several motors decreases in succession and inproportion to the decrease in pressure of the exhaust steam. A by-pass valve 22 is likewise interposed in the pipe .21 to control the operation of the entraining gearing for the last or rear booster motor. The steam finally exhausted from the cylinders of the latter motor may be conducted through a suitable pipe line and advantageously utilized for the heating of the feed water for the main locomotive boiler. ln this manner the adhesive pressure of the truck wheels upon the rails due to the great weight of the large capacity tender is taken advantage of and a very appreciable increase in tractive power is obtained as an aid to the main engine in the propulsion of the locomotive in starting and at low speeds and over heavy grades. At the same time. however, it will be understood, owing to the large capacity of the locomotive boiler and its high potential steam energy supply. there is no decrease in the usual supply of superheated steam to the main engine cyI inders so that the main engine may be operated at its full or maximum power output.

In the forward propulsion of the train,

the normally idle booster motors are successively thrown into gear with the respective truck axles by steam pressure from the first or forward motor to the rear motor beneath the tender tank. In the reverse or backward propulsion of the train, however, we preferably connect theengineefis air valve with the several by-pass valves to first reverse the direction of drive of the rear boost or motor. Thus the engineers air valve 19 is connected by pipe 26 to the top of the rear by-pass valve 22, as seen in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings. The by-pass valves are connected with each other by the pipe sections 27. Thus it will be evident that when the engineer actuates the valve 12 to reverse the operation of'the motors, air is first admitted to the top of the by-pass valve 22 associated with the rear motor Sdthat the steam which is being supplied tothis motor through the connection 21 with the intermediate motor will then actuate the entrainment gearing to reverse the direction of drive of this rear motor. Air passing llt) lit)

.forward motor and the steam actuates the entrainment gearing thereof to finally reverse the drive of this motor. The operations of these by-pass valves and the actuation of the several entrainment gearings associated with the respective motors takes place in quick succession. This order of operation of the reversing mechanisms is, however, not essential, and it is also to be understood that the several by-pass valves may be actuated by steam instead of air pressure, if desired.

For details of valve 12, controlling the supply of steam to, and the reversing mechanism of, the boosters, reference may be had to Fig. 4 of the British patent to McGrew and Loree 198,456, June 7, 1923.

From the foregoing description, consid ered in connection with the accompanying drawings, the present improvement in the art will be clearly and fully understood. It will be apparent that through the medium of the three booster motors one of which is operated by live steam and the others by' exhaust steam, we are able to utilize the very high steam boiler pressure of modern locomotives most efiectively at low operating speeds and in starting, thus materially increasing the tractive power of the main engine and thereby aiding the latter in propelling the train. VVe' have herein referred to certain prior patents and applications as illustrating a form of the booster motor and entraining mechanism therefor which, in

' practice, we have found to give highly satisfactory results. It will be understood, however, that in so far as the novel features of our present method is concerned, the. invention is not necessarily limited in these respects but is applicable as well to various other types of booster motors and controlling systems therefor whereby an operative driving connection between {.10 several motors and the respective truck axles may be obtained. Accordingly, we reserve the privating one of said motors by live steam supplied froin the main locomotive boiler, operating the remaining motors in series by steam exhausted from the cylinders of the preceding motor, and'utilizing the steam pressure influence to operatively connect each motor in driving relation to a supporting axle simultaneously with the effective operation of the respective motors.

2. The method of aiding the locomotive in the propulsion of a train which consists in arranging a series of motors beneath a train carriage each of which is normally idle with respect to a carriage supporting axle, operating one of said motors by live steamsupplied from the main locomotive boiler, 'operating the remaining motors in series by steam exhausted from the cylinders of the preceding motor and utilizing the steam pressure influence to effect an operative connection between each motor, and a supporting axle to 'drive the latter in either direction simultaneously with the effective operation of the respective motors.

The method of aiding a locomotive engine in the propulsion of a train, which consists in mounting beneath the tender a series of booster motors in spaced relation to each other, each of said motors being normally disentrained from a supporting axle of the tender, operating one of said motors by live steam supplied from the main locomotive boiler, operating the remaining motorsin the series by steam exhausted from the cylinders of the preceding motor, and utilizing the pressure influence of the steam as it passes to the booster motor cylinders for en-. training the respective motors with the tender supportingaxles.

4. The method of aiding a locomotive engine in the propulsion of a train which consists in arranging a series of three booster motors beneath the tender, each in driving relation to a supporting axle for said tender but normally disentrained therefrom, operating the forward booster motor by live steam supplied from the main locomotive boiler and operating the remaining motors by the exhaust steam of the preceding motor, and utilizing the pressure of the steam for entraining the respective motors with the tender supporting axles.

5. A method of aiding a locomotive in the propulsion of a train which consists in arranging a series of motors beneath the tender, each in'driving relation to a supporting axle thereof and provided with mechanism for releasably entraining the motor with said axle, operating the advance oooster motor by live steam supplied from the locomotive. boiler and operating the remaining motors by steam exhausted from the cylinders of the preceding motor, utilizing the 7 pressure of the steam for successively entraining the motors from front to rear of the tender for the forward drive, and cansing the steam to successively operate the entrainment mechanisms of said motors from the rear motor to the front motor for the reverse or backward drive.

6. The combination \Vlth a locomotive tender having a plurality of trucks, of auxiliary propulsion apparatus comprising a motor for each truck, connectible and disco'nnectible power transmission means between each motor and an axle of its truck, means for connecting the motors in multiple expansion relation, and means for supplying high pressure steam to the initial one of the plurality of motors.

7. The combination with a locomotive tender having a plurality of trucks, of auxiliary propulsion apparatus comprising a motor for each truck, connectible and disconnectible power transmission means between each motor and an axle of its truck, means for connecting the motors in multiple expansion relation and means for supplying high pressure steam to the plurality of motors for multiple expansion therein to operate said motors and to connect the power transmission means thereof to the axles.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention, we have signed our names hereunder.

JOHN A. MoGREW. JAMES T. LOREE. 

